Not my cup of tea. In fact it felt like a chore to get through just so I could hold up my end of my ARC bargain.

I'd give this book a strong 4.5 out of 5. It kept me thoroughly entertained, and I read it in a single sitting. It follows a hunter, Sol, and an enemy soldier, Kelan, as they struggle to survive a harsh winter in the mountains. Because most of this book was a fight for survival, it was pretty character driven, but that didn't harm it, because the arcs of the characters were done extremely well.

Sol has been raised since she was born to hate Flameskins, and kill them on sight, so she was immensely prejudiced when she met Kelan. Watching her slowly accept Kelan and challenge her beliefs was written so realistically yet simply at the same time. She had idolized her father for years, and watching her struggle with her feelings towards him and her beliefs was really part of what made the story stand out to me. The author did an amazing job of writing Sol's father to be a flawed character without villainizing him. Being there for her journey towards acceptance was really what made me love her as a character.

Kelan,on the other hand had been threatened by the Tokkens for his entire life and was logically wary of them. While he had less of a transformation of beliefs, his journey was just as well written. He was probably my favorite character, because his struggle with his inner demons also felt super realistic. I loved how he gave Sol time to accept him, he wasn't the normal cocky love interest we see in most YA books.

Speaking of love interests, lets discuss the romance! This was really the focal point of the story, I mean there was a plot line, but it was really led by the romance. I loved how this wasn't insta-love, it did happen fairly fast considering how short the timeline of the book was, but it felt like it took a long time.

I feel like Longley definitely excels at writing realistic character relationships, and if she continues this series, I'll definitely be looking to continue it. I would definitely recommend this to fantasy lovers!

*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review*

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Firefrost

Author: Camille Longley

Book Series: Flameskin Chronicles Book 0

Rating: 1/5

Publication Date: September 21, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed

Publisher: BooksGoSocial

Pages: 372

Synopsis: She’s a huntress:
Sol d’Hillerod is sent on a desperate mission through a treacherous winter pass. She carries with her the only hope of her village’s survival, and she will do whatever she must to keep her world from burning.

He’s a monster:
Lieutenant Kelan Birke has spent his whole life fighting for his freedom and his soul. As his control slips, and the war rages on, he knows it won’t be long before he loses himself entirely to the fire that flows through his veins.

Sol and Kelan are enemies in an age-old war, forced to depend on each other to survive a perilous journey through the mountains. As fire melts the ice in Sol’s heart, she questions everything she’s been taught to believe, and Kelan becomes more desperate to fight the flames that consume him. Together they discover that their struggle will have repercussions for both sides of this burning war.

Review: DNF at 35%. It reminded me of Wicked Saints and we all know about my hatard of that book.

Verdict: Not for me, but maybe for you!

Firefrost follows both Sol and Kelan as they try to survive their journey together first as enemies and later as lovers, their relationship means they are unable to live in peace together anywhere.

The book is told in alternating perspectives of both Sol and Kelan and I loved their characters and their relationship. Both characters are survivors and have a lot to deal with on their journey, I loved Sol and how strong she was and how she did not let anything change who she was, I also loved Kelan’s personality and how it contrasted the harshness of Sol’s personality and how he still called her out on her views and how she treated him. I enjoyed the writing style of the book especially the world building and fantasy element of the book, it was interesting to read about Kelan and Flameskins and his struggle to control himself and also Sol and mages. The action in the book was also well written especially near the ending of the book.

Although I found their relationship really cute and I loved them together especially during the second half, the book is very fast paced and I expected the romance to be a slow burn as they are enemies but it is not. They have feelings for each other very early on and the plot around them surviving their original journey also ends quicker than I thought it would. I did not like the pace of the book, everything seemed really rushed and the characters moved to different settings/situations too quickly and that also meant that the plot itself was repetitive and frustrating to read because the couple go through so much together and can never catch a break. There is not much to the plot of the book aside from them constantly struggling to be together and then having to move somewhere else and although I liked the couple it did get boring/repetitive.

I liked the ending of the book and am interested in how it will link to the next book.

3/5

Title: Firefrost  
Author: Camille Longley
Pub. Date: September 21, 2020
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️


This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Where do I begin?

This book is enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers, with betrayal, magic, drama, deceit, and basically just about anything you could want in a YA Fantasy. It’s a little insta-love-y, but I quickly became emotionally invested and stayed up way too late on a work night reading. I don’t regret my choices.

I like Kelan and Sol, I just wish more time had been spent on their relationship. Everything happened so quickly and the tense emotional build up that usually accompanies enemies to lovers really wasn’t prevalent. I mean, I was still an absolute sucker for it, but I just wish it had been more drawn out – that their whole relationship had been drawn out.

I did think that the pacing was way off in this book, but overall, I enjoyed it. It made for a quick, easy, fun read and I ended up emotionally invested – which is always a plus. I definitely think that if the pacing had been more drawn out, if we got to spend more time with the characters, with the world – fleshing it out a bit more – this book could have easily been a new favorite. As it stands, it’s still enjoyable, but it feels lacking.

I thought that the pacing was going to be my only complaint about this book – which is something I can deal with. Like I said, I was emotionally invested, despite not really liking the pacing, but when I hit the 80% mark, I lost all track of what was happening.

It felt like all sorts of new information had been introduced, new conflict – basically it felt almost like a whole different plot line. Things were happening at light speed and it was hard to keep up. I was really confused at times and had to go back and re-read, and then the introduction of whatever that magic was at the very end was really strange and felt so out of place.

So much happened in the last 20% that I don’t even know if I could accurately recall it all, and it’s been 40ish minutes since I finished the book. I just didn’t understand the motives and reasoning behind various character actions. The emotional weights were off and that made the life or death stakes feel really minute in comparison.

Overall, if you’re looking for a quick read to pass the time, I’d say pick this up. It’s entertaining and has some really good moments.

TRIGGER WARNING: murder, slavery, reference to death of children

The premise of the book seemed interesting, and I honestly wanted to really like this book. But the concept didn't quite meet expectations.

Let me start with the positives - I really liked the magic system. The idea of pyra and mages were interesting, and I liked how it was woven through the story. The cost of using magic was especially well illustrated in this story. I also liked how connected to nature Sol was. But that was really about the extent of things that I enjoyed about the book.

I happen to love the enemies to lovers trope - it allows tension to build, and I love seeing the emotions change and become a slow-burn romance. But in this story, it kind of felt like I was getting whiplash. Sol and Kelan went from enemies one minute to insta love the next, and then back to enemies, and then back to love, and so on. It was exhausting! The characters were juvenile and behaved like bratty children for so much of the story. It made it really hard to connect to them, and I found myself really not caring much about what happened to them. Everything just felt repetitive - the romance, the situations the characters find themselves getting into, and nearly the entire story involves just the two characters wandering around the mountains. It was boring and there was a noticeable lack of tension.

It's touted as good for fans of Sabaa Tahir and Sarah J. Maas, both writers I happen to love, but I really didn't see any kind of connection. I definitely took one for the team here.

It doesnt support or open after I download the pdf version of it. It's also not showing in my shelf in netgalley and I cant open it to read

Please look into the issue and if you can send me the pdf in my mail ID- taniagungunsarkar@gmail.com

I cant read the book from here. Please look into the issue

I received a free ebook ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is a quick and easy read that you don’t have to think about too much (and I suggest you don’t). This book alternates POV between our huntress Sol, a woman of the mountains, and Kelan, a flameskin soldier. Initially, these two are complete opposite missions; Sol, to get a soon to be Princess to her new city safely and Kelan to kill that Princess.

Through a series of circumstances, our two characters find themselves trekking through the mountains together and falling in love. This book was non-stop action from just about the very beginning. I enjoyed that it was fast paced in this way. Towards the end, it did feel a little rushed and I think we lost some detail in that (I’m still not clear is a wraith is a different species or just younger flameskins?).

Overall, I enjoyed the ride and would definitely like to read the sequel to see exactly where Sol and Kelan end up.

I was provided an Advanced Reader Copy by the publisher #BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for an honest review.

Firefrost by Camille Longley was an extremely engaging story; I couldn't put the book down. Longley has developed very likable characters, both the good guys and the bad, whose life situations make you yearn for a better, more understanding world. This first installment can be read as a stand alone but appears to be an introduction in to the world she has built.

Sol is a huntress tasked with leading her party across the treacherous mountain pass. She relies on this job to feed her family who live in a small village on the mountain. Sol must be wary of the Flameskin army, a race who can use fire as a means of weaponry, healing, and strength.

Kelan is a Flameskin who has been fighting his human nature. He refused to let the fire consume him and his mind. He fears what he can become.

Sol and Kelan are two individuals on separate sides of an intense war. They are thrown together and must learn to work with one another in order to survive. Can Sol overcome her distrust for what Kelan is? Can Kelan overcome his inner demons and save himself?

Overall, this was a fun read! The first 40% or so of the book is primarily focused on the survival of our two main characters, Kelan and Sol, and their interactions and individual character developments. I found this rather interesting, and was intrigued more than I thought I would be for such a simple story-line. The plot stayed loose and never seemed to become much more defined from that point forward, which confused me at times, but I didn't mind because I prefer more character-driven stories. I think I would have enjoyed this writing choice more if I really believed in the romance. though.

For me, the romance was built-up too quickly. We see the characters struggle to care for each other and just focus on surviving in the wilderness, since they come from two opposing forces that are currently at war with one another. I love the enemies to lovers trope, but I couldn't understand why one of our main characters fell for the other so quickly, especially in such a tense and harsh atmosphere where you're literally trying to just... not die. I enjoyed the romance scenes that involved the pyra and the flame magic though, where the characters' magic mix with one another.

Regardless, I really enjoyed the survival parts of the story and how incredibly character-driven it was. I enjoy stories told in this style, but if you're someone who enjoys more of a concrete plot with less focus on characters, keep this in mind! I also enjoyed the magic and the concept of the pyra and the Flameskins, but often times found scenes related to them to be quite graphic.

So full of ups and downs it had me on the edge of my seat. This was such an exciting adventure. I can't wait to read more from this author

I enjoyed reading this book. The story is well written, fast-paced, and compelling that it keeps you glued from page to page until the end. The world, the characters, and the story itself are well developed.

Sol and Kelan started as enemies then companions then friends and then to more than friends. The romance was a bit untimely for me but I guess that’s where the plot will course eventually. Love does conquer all. I liked how the main characters complement each other. I loved how the main characters had a happy ending after all the sufferings and persecutions they’ve been through.

I do hope that the author would make a sequel novella just to give us something to read as to what happened to them on the island. I’m delighted to read this debut novel and I would surely check out the future works of the author.

I’m thankful to the author, to the publisher, and to Netgalley for allowing me to read and review an eARC of this debut novel.

If you love action-packed, magical, and romance novel, I would recommend this book to you!

ARC from NetGalley

Firefrost is a love story with magical elements. The Flameskins have a second consciousness living inside them, Pyri who feed on emotions such as fear, anger and lust. The Pyri help them heal quickly and allow them to use fire. Sol hates Flameskins because her pa hated the Flameskins and every other idiot in her village and apparently most of the world hates them too.

Far too much of this book is Sol calling Kelan a demon and telling him that she hates him. It got old fast. I can understand being indoctrinated by your family to believe that a certain race is bad and evil. I think everyone can picture that, considering it still happens to this day, but this isn't just your traditional hatred, this is kill them all even the babies, cut out their hearts and burn them kind of hatred. I just couldn't understand how Sol could take so long to even register Kelan as human.

Honestly not a lot happens in this book. We don't really learn anything about the Flameskin history. We don't learn anything about the dryads or their magic. I don't know where they got the frost from for the title Firefrost unless they meant all the fucking snow they had to walk through for like 75% of this goddamn book.

The setting was almost entirely snowy mountain, and it got boring. Every single time someone was happy, like within 3 pages something bad would happen again, and it became predictable and boring. The back and forth, I hate you, I'm scared of you, I'm making out with you, oh god I can't, got boring. The end was anticlimactic. I know this is "book 0" and so I assume part of a series, but it was like a long prologue with nothing really ever happening. Hopefully the next books actually have some meat to them.

This legitimately might be one of my favourite young adult fantasy books I’ve read this year! Not only does this book have all the aspects of a artfully woven tale, but lovable characters and powerful world building.

First off, Sol and Kelan are literally adorable and somehow the fact that they could both kill me easily doesn’t seem to factor into that?! Both characters were raised to hate everything the other stood for, everything that they are, but as the story progresses they are forced to question everything they were taught to despise and who they once trusted. Lines are blurred and slowly a bond develops between the pair. I will always openly admit my love for the classic enemies to lovers troupe and character growth along the way, and this book has both of those factors perfectly executed. None of it felt forced or straightforward, keeping me on my toes up until the very end.

The story itself was refreshing and fast paced, but not so much so that you lost track of what was happening. I had a hard time putting the book down, there was never a dull moment and the plot twists had me at the edge of my seat. I absolutely loved how imaginative the plot and world building was, with the whole idea of the Flameskins and their pyras vs the Tokken, and Kelan’s own battle to keep control over his demon. Especially in the sense of world building it was fairly easy to follow, you were able to understand the dynamics of the world without being overwhelmed with unnecessary factors.

I have read many young adult fantasies but this one was unlike any I’ve read before, and it was AMAZING. I would highly recommend it to any fantasy fan or anyone looking to get into the genre. It’s release date is September 21st!!

Huge thanks to NetGally and the author for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Kelan is a Flameskin lieutenant and Sol is a Tokken huntress.

The Flameskins are fire wielders that have something in them called pyri. The pyri take over the magic wielder eventually and they become one. And they live to destroy.
Some choose to numb their magic with an emberstone and don't allow the unity, so they don't wield their fire at all.
There is a war between the Tokken army and the Flameskins. Kelan and Sol are natural enemies, as it's all they have ever known. Can they change the course of their future and stop the war by uniting? Or will their friendship mean they will always be on the run from all sides?

This was an interesting read and not like most enemies to friends stories.
I found it to be relatable to some current events, while remaining in a fantasy world, which made it a bit lighter and an easy read.

This was beautifully written and had the perfect amount of romance for me.
The descriptions of the mountains, woods and many weeks of travelling through snow, were captivating and kept me intrigued throughout the story.
I do wish the ending was a bit longer as I felt it was a bit rushed, but it was overall a very satisfying read.

*ARC provided in exchange for my honest review*

4.5 ⭐️

I really enjoyed this book! The story was unique and the characters were so amazing. Sol is a complete badass who can hold her own against the best of them. Kelan is a lovable monster who I rooted for the entire time. The story was full of twists and turns that I did not expect.

My only complaint was that whenever Sol and Kelan found themselves in trouble, I felt they got out of it too quickly. I would have liked if some of their problem would have been slightly closer calls to keep up the excitement.

Overall, I loved this book and cannot wait to add a physical copy to my bookshelf!!

This prequel (I think it’s a prequel...maybe...I don’t know it’s numbered book 0 in a series so we will see) had a lot of potential, but just did not hit the nail on the head for me.

The enemies have depth to an extent. The MCs have this weird trait of a lot of depth in some areas, with no depth in others. I just wanted to feel more and I felt like it was right there, but never pushed me as a reader. Throughout the book I wanted more feeling, but it was more told to me than allowing me to feel it.

The whole idea of this book is amazing. The moral lines are so blurred it really makes you look at what decisions you might possibly make in these situations. I loved the play on what makes someone truly evil, but once again it was never really followed through with.

The first probably 40% of this book had me hooked. I did not want to put it down and sleep, but I did. When I picked it back up the next day and continued reading, I sort of felt like I was reading a book written by someone else. Everything that was so wonderful previously just collapsed and sometimes I was looking around the room wondering what the heck was going on.

It is a brilliant idea and I hope the kinks get worked out for the series because I feel like this would be a great set of stories.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest opinion.
-Stone.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
I honestly read a little more than a third of this, left it for a few days, and then didn't care enough about the plot or characters to pick it back up. Sorry!
The two main characters literally want to kill each other, but as soon as the guy notices how nice the girl's legs are the hate magically disappears.
I wish there had been more of a backstory about Pyra's as well as the feud between the two groups of people.
The premise definitely had promise, but for me personally it just didn't seem to work.

Firefrost is a young adult romantic fantasy set in an interesting new world. A young woman guides a princess through the mountains where she and her father hunted, while a young man fights to save his people from genocide while trying to resist the dark urges that come with using his magic. The world is well built out in bits and pieces that don't interfere with the character-driven story or overall plot. This feels like an introduction to a new world full of many potential stories - I'm excited to read more of them.

A story of love, sacrifice, hidden truths, longings, care and forbidden lovers. This was a tale, quite a powerful one which kept me intrigued until the very end. This story is the highlight of sacrifice and happiness which was so well written.

Thankyou netgalley for the review copy and I was actually interested in this book firstly by the description and later by that beautiful cover. The title was also something unique with opposites in it i.e. fire and frost, these led me to immediately request a review copy and I loved reading this book. At times I felt like the story was unnecessarily complicated and going forver but that turned out to be the basis for such a well read book.

This is a tale of Sol and Kalen who ard enemies but by unforseen circumstances they are forced to ensure each other in the worst of times and they end up uncovering secrets and discovering love and happiness in even smallest of the things. The emphasis on family, on how they arrive hard, always being hunted, just to have a normal life and live in love is heart-wrenching. The book on the whole was good and very well written. I loved the details in the landscape descriptions and also the complexity of the characters. This book is a treat to adventure and forbidden lovers genre lovers.
If you are a lover of such a genre you can definitely pick this book up.#netgalley #firefrostcamillelongley